Most of the stories coming out of the crypto industry this past year have centered around enormous numbers flowing in and out of the space. From stablecoins topping over $100 billion, with Circle raising $440 million in private investment in the spring, to decentralized finance (DeFi) projects like Solana completing a $314 million fundraiser, people love to discuss the huge amounts of money being made in DeFi as new all-time highs break records across the board. What we don’t see enough of are the use cases on how this technological innovation underpinning these new financial instruments can benefit important causes …

With thousands of Afghans currently being accepted as refugees in different countries following the Taliban’s takeover of many highly populated areas, many nonprofit organizations are accepting donations in cryptocurrency. Thousands, if not millions, of Afghans are attempting to or are in the process of fleeing their home in fear of what the Taliban may do now they are largely in control of the country. Organizations helping refugees and those on the ground have put the word out: They need funds to support Afghans arriving on foreign soil with often little more than the clothes on their backs. Hearts & Homes …

Institutional interest in crypto is growing, confirmed by a Goldman Sachs survey, which found that 40% of the company’s high-net-worth clients were already exposed to cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins — which offer a more secure and steady option in the crypto space — have experienced hyper-growth, reaching a $119 billion market cap. The volatility of crypto has attracted more conservative investors to asset-backed stablecoins. Stablecoins are a form of private money. As Christina Segal-Knowles, executive director for financial markets infrastructure at the Bank of England, points out, modern money is a combination of public and private funds, up to 95% of which …

Shidan Gouran of Gulf Pearl: Shidan is a co-founder of Gulf Pearl, a Canadian merchant bank and advisory firm with a focus on emerging technologies. “With respect to blockchain technology, the ability to easily move wealth from one country to another and to prevent seizure of assets due to belonging to a particular religious, political, social or ethnic group is a very powerful feature that public blockchains can enable. All truly democratic countries should implement safeguard measures against the potential of a tyrannical government formation because no system is perfect. I believe digital bearer instruments enabled by blockchains are one …

American manufactured meat company Oscar Mayer is auctioning off a one-of-one pack of “Hot Doge Wieners” on eBay. The limited-edition pack of Dogecoin-themed wieners includes 10 sausages and a picture of the beloved Shiba Inu dog on the packaging, along with the “cash equivalent” of 10,000 Dogecoin (DOGE). The auction is set to close on Saturday, however, the listing has been temporarily taken down, with the firm noting on Twitter today that “you guys really took this to the moon. The link is down but will be up soon!” During the initial hours of bidding, Redditors in the r/dogecoin community …

Charity fundraising risks being left behind in the shift to online activity. But taking inspiration from the COVID-19 pandemic trends, and new payment technology, could open doors. Change comes whether you’re ready or not, but being ready means you can seize the opportunity. The past year has accelerated the pace of digital transformation dramatically — sure, personal contact was already moving online, and contactless payments were slowly replacing cash, but the pandemic did not so much push as shove the world faster and farther than anyone expected. This creates specific challenges for the nonprofit sector — and with those, some …

One of the most recognizable brand names in the world is planning to release a collection of nonfungible tokens to raise money for Special Olympics International. The OpenSea marketplace will be holding a three-day auction for Coca-Cola branded nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, starting on July 30. The NFT collections, created in partnership with digital designer Tafi, were “inspired by video-game loot boxes” and contain “hidden surprises” available only to those who purchase the artwork. The “Friendship Boxes” feature a classic Coca-Cola cooler, a wearable bubble jacket which can be used in the Ethereum-based virtual reality world Decentraland, a friendship card, …

Just $20 million of the $1 billion in cryptocurrency that Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated to a COVID-19 relief fund in India has so far been cashed out and distributed to aid recipients. Figuring out why the process is not as frictionless as crypto users would hope is the focus of a recent interview with the fund’s founder, Sandeep Nailwal. Cointelegraph readers will recall that this May, Buterin’s decision to liquidate several of his meme coin positions and donate the proceeds to various charities had prompted panic and admiration in equal helpings. Panic, firstly, set in among those traders who …

Way back in 2014, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruled that cryptocurrency is property in Notice 2014-21. That classification as property has some big tax consequences accentuated by wild price swings. Buying and selling crypto can trigger gain or loss and be taxable. Yes, buying something using crypto — a house, a car, a new suit — can trigger taxes. Even paying taxes in crypto can trigger taxes. If you owe $5,000 in taxes, you could pay the $5,000 in dollars. However, if you pay with $5,000 worth of Bitcoin (BTC), as long as the crypto is worth …

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen are the latest celebrities to reaffirm the growing adoption of the cryptocurrency industry. West Realm Shires Services, FTX Trading Limited and Blockfolio, three companies behind major global cryptocurrency exchange business FTX, announced Tuesday a long-term partnership with Brady and Bündchen. As part of the deal, the legendary football player and model will each take equity stakes in FTX Trading and will receive crypto. Brady will serve as an ambassador for FTX, while Bündchen will take on the role of FTX’s environmental and social initiatives advisor, working on initiatives to …

Due to the past nonfungible token (NFT) boom, the crypto and art communities have been collaborating closely — maybe for the first time in history. In both industries, there is a lot of skepticism and misunderstanding. As we make our way out of the NFT bubble, what is expected to come next? This deep dive describes a long-term vision of the NFT and art market development that could appeal to both worlds. Stereotypically, crypto people discuss deals on Twitter and Discord, communicate through memes or abbreviations and challenge old school models with agonistic antipathy (Okay, Boomers!). In contrast, the so-called …

Cointelegraph is delighted to announce a nonfungible token charity auction in partnership with the Rotary Foundation and the Binance cryptocurrency exchange. Binance will feature the celebrity-themed charity campaign on its newly launched NFT marketplace, aiming to generate donations supporting financial education for children and training for physicians coping with COVID-19 emergencies. The charity auction will include an NFT series curated and designed by Cointelegraph and its outstanding art team, with the participation of global athletes, musicians, entrepreneurs and bloggers. As part of the campaign, Cointelegraph’s team of artists will create digital portraits of celebrities willing to support Rotary’s charity efforts …